Portuguese soccer is on the road to another World Cup in 2022! In the early hours of Wednesday morning (30th) in the final of the European play-offs, thanks to the "Manchester United stars" Crowe and Bruno Fernandes, Portugal beat North Macedonia 2-0 at home to advance to the final week of the World Cup. This will be the fifth time in history that Crowe will embark on the journey to the final week of the World Cup, and it may also be the 37-year-old veteran's last game.
Facing North Macedonia, who had unexpectedly knocked out Italy earlier, Portugal fielded all their starters in this crucial match, and the game progressed as expected, with Portugal laying siege to their opponents. The key goal came in the 32nd minute, when Crowe and Bruno Fernandes made a fine combination in the midfield, with Crowe cleverly providing an assist for Bruno Fernandes, who easily shot into the empty net. Bruno Fernandes helped Portugal to advance in the 65th minute with another quick low shot from inside the box off a long range effort from Diego Costa.
This is the 8th time in the history of Portugal to reach the final week of the World Cup, and has not missed it since the 2002 World Cup in Korea-Japan.Crowe is making his 5th consecutive appearance in the final week, and his 10th consecutive appearance in an international tournament (5 World Cups, 5 Euro's).Crowe is the only player in the history of soccer to have scored in 9 consecutive international tournaments, and at the end of the year in Qatar he is expected to continue to write Crowe is the only player in soccer history to have scored in nine consecutive international tournaments.
Although Crowe and Bruno Fernandes are often accused of not working well together, Crowe gave Bruno Fernandes an assist for the second time in this match. After the game, Bruno Fernandes said, "This game is unforgettable because we managed to qualify for the World Cup! Everyone was full of fighting spirit and Cairo and I were no exception, usually it's me who assists him, but this time it was finally my turn." Crowe also posted a picture of the whole team on social media with the message, "The goal has been reached!"
